Sacred Space and secular concern in the photography of Tyagan Miller

Abstract

This essay examines religious, racial, and historical influences on the creation of a major photo-documentary work. Contemporary Jewish American photographer Tyagan Miller's first project stemmed from his commitment to social justice and education in a secular context. Miller's second major photo essay "Covenant," focuses on the life and work of a church. Although Miller began "Covenant" with an interest in social emancipation, the project moved him to focus on the healing process that takes place in a church environment where he saw an "unbroken family" (interview with Tyagan Miller, July 22, 2002) composed out of the sometimes broken lives of individual congregants. This essay deals with the ethics of Miller's fieldwork for "Covenant," his biographical relationship to his subject matter, and the issue of Jewish representations of Black culture.